Macdonald & Company

What Macdonald & Company does

Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy focused exclusively on the real estate and built environment sectors, founded in 1994 and headquartered in London. The firm operates a platform-plus-services model centered on three core service lines: Permanent Recruitment (fees typically 15-35% of the hired candidate's total annual remuneration), Interim & Contract Recruitment (charged on a day-rate or hourly-rate basis), and Talent Advisory (bespoke salary benchmarking, talent mapping, and market intelligence). These are supported by Executive Search for board and C-suite placements. The underlying technology comprises a proprietary candidate database of over 250,000 registered real estate professionals and a content platform producing the annual Global Real Estate Salary, Rewards and Sentiments Report, sector-specific Salary Guides, the Macroscope podcast, the RE:MAIL newsletter, and a job board with self-serve CV upload functionality.

The firm serves investors, funds, owners, operators, developers, advisory firms, corporate real estate teams, facilities management providers, and public-sector property bodies across the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. GTM motion is consultative and insight-led, with consultants organized by discipline, asset class, and market sector across seven practice areas (Real Estate Investment & Funds, Development, Real Estate Services, Planning/Architecture/Design, Building & Construction, Finance & Accountancy, and Corporate Services). Notable enterprise clients include Battersea Power Station Development, Harvest Real Estate, Proterra Properties, and Pocket Living (exclusive partner since 2015). Macdonald & Company holds RICS preferred recruitment partner status.

The business is structured as Macdonald & Company Holdings Ltd., a private limited company registered in England and Wales, with no external institutional investor, no parent company, and no public listing. Headcount is in the 101-250 range. Strategic milestones include the 2017 acquisition of Command Recruitment Group (H.K.) to extend Asia-Pacific reach, ongoing content franchise investment (Salary Report 2026, Macroscope podcast, Finance & Accountancy practice launch), and a multi-region office network supporting cross-border hiring while retaining local market expertise.

Name

Macdonald & Company

Legal name

Macdonald & Company Holdings Ltd.

Website

https://macdonaldandcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy dedicated to real estate and the built environment, providing permanent, interim, executive search, and talent advisory services. The firm serves investors, developers, funds, and advisory firms across the UK, Europe, US, APAC, Middle East, and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA), Construction & Real Estate Direct Hire (BPACAFAN)

Keywords

• Real estate recruitment
• Executive search services
• Built environment staffing
• Permanent placement
• Salary benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Permanent Recruitment Fees: Permanent recruitment fees typically range from 15% to 35% of the hired candidate's total annual remuneration. The exact fee depends on factors such as seniority level, location, and complexity of the role.
2. Interim & Contract Recruitment: Interim and contract assignments are charged on a day-rate or hourly-rate basis, reflecting the level of experience required and market conditions.
3. Talent Advisory & Market Intelligence: Salary benchmarking, talent mapping, and workforce planning support services provided alongside recruitment delivery, supporting hiring insight informed by market conditions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy placing professionals across the global real estate and built environment sector. It sells four service lines — Permanent Recruitment, Interim & Contract Recruitment, Executive Search, and Talent Advisory & Market Intelligence — to employers including institutional investors, developers, advisory firms, corporate real estate teams, and public-sector property bodies, while providing candidates with career resources, salary insights, and job access.

Product overview

Macdonald & Company is a specialist real estate and built environment recruitment consultancy operating a platform-plus-services model. The core offering consists of three service lines: Permanent Recruitment (mid-to-senior executive search and placement), Interim & Contract Recruitment (temporary staffing), and Talent Advisory (salary benchmarking, market intelligence, and talent mapping). These services are supported by proprietary research products including the annual Global Real Estate Salary Report (Salary, Rewards & Sentiments Report) and sector-specific Salary Guides. Content platforms include the Macroscope Podcast series and the Career Toolkit resource hub. A job board provides candidates access to exclusive real estate positions across global markets. The company operates across specialisms including Real Estate Investment & Funds, Development, Real Estate Services, Planning/Architecture/Design, Building & Construction, Finance & Accountancy, and Corporate Services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Recruitment Permanent placement service sourcing mid-to-senior real estate professionals across investment, asset management, development, advisory, corporate real estate, and public-sector property disciplines for institutional employers. Priced as a percentage of the placed candidate's annual remuneration.
• Interim & Contract Recruitment Interim and contract placement service providing real estate and built environment professionals on a day-rate basis for gap cover, transformation, project-cycle peaks, and interim leadership assignments. Billed at a day-rate margin.
• Executive Search Confidential, retained executive search service for C-suite, board, and senior leadership hires across the real estate and built environment value chain, typically charged on a bespoke/retained fee basis.
• Talent Advisory & Market Intelligence Talent advisory and market intelligence service providing salary benchmarking, reward strategy, organisational design, talent mapping, and market insight to real estate employers and candidates, delivered on bespoke mandate terms.
• Global Real Estate Salary, Rewards & Sentiment Report Annual flagship salary, rewards, and employee sentiment benchmarking publication covering global real estate and built environment compensation trends; available for download and referenced in marketing as a primary market-intelligence asset for employers and candidates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Singapore real estate professionals experienced an average salary increase of 14% in the past year, ranking third globally with a median salary of S$158,400.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMacdonald & Company is a RICS preferred recruitment partner, providing specialist real estate recruitment services aligned with RICS professional standards and leveraging RICS Matrices networking platform for candidate engagement and access to industry events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cobalt Recruitment: Cobalt Recruitment is a UK-headquartered specialist recruitment firm focused on property, construction, and real estate. It directly competes with Macdonald & Company across permanent, interim, and executive search mandates in the same real estate vertical.
• Oyster Partnership: Oyster Partnership is a UK specialist recruitment consultancy focused on planning, development, surveying, and real estate roles. It is a direct competitor to Macdonald & Company in the property and built environment recruitment market.
• Deverell Smith: Deverell Smith is a London-based specialist real estate and property recruitment consultancy. It competes head-to-head with Macdonald & Company for mid-to-senior placements across investment, development, and property services.
• Healy Hunt: Healy Hunt is a UK boutique recruitment consultancy focused on real estate, investment, and development roles. It is comparable to Macdonald & Company in its sector specialisation, scale, and senior appointment focus.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Walters (Property & Construction): Robert Walters is a global specialist recruitment group with a dedicated UK Property & Construction practice covering real estate, development, and surveying. It overlaps with Macdonald & Company in mid-to-senior real estate mandates, particularly at the executive search end.
• Reed (Property & Construction): Reed is one of the UK's largest recruitment brands with a dedicated Property, Construction & Housing practice. It serves overlapping clients and candidates, but at broader scope and lower specialist depth than Macdonald & Company.
• Michael Page (Property & Construction division): Michael Page is a large global generalist recruiter with a dedicated Property & Construction practice that places into real estate roles. It competes on volume and brand rather than specialist depth, but overlaps with Macdonald & Company in target candidates and clients.
• Hays (Property division): Hays is a global listed recruitment firm with a UK Property and Real Estate practice that recruits into development, investment, and surveying roles. It is broader and less specialist than Macdonald & Company but addresses overlapping candidate pools and clients.

Others

• Savills (real estate services): Savills is a global real estate services firm that is also a frequent client and sector context for Macdonald & Company. While not a recruiter, Savills operates in the same real estate ecosystem and overlaps in target talent pools and buyer relationships.
• Knight Frank (real estate services): Knight Frank is a global real estate advisory and consultancy firm. As a major real estate employer and frequent client of recruitment partners, Knight Frank represents both a peer buyer of real estate talent and an adjacent sector participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MacdonaldCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macdonald-and-company
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCExample

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Macdonald & Company